Beginners

A lovably quirky comedy-drama with a rhythm all its own.

The result is as much a revelation of the artist's craft as it is of the man's heart and mind.

All the movie's playfulness rubs off on the actors. Scenes crackle with life. The chemistry among all the actors is terrific.

Beginners is filled with crises of identity, but underneath it all is a beautifully humane, sweet and intelligent movie that knows exactly what it is at every moment.

What's refreshing about Beginners is its sympathy for all of its characters, which translates into the characters' sympathy for each other.

So Beginners might sound insufferable, but it isn't - or at least not completely. Mills's second feature (after Thumbsucker) has way too many quirks for its own good, although it also flaunts a rare freedom to jump back and forth in time.

Mills pulls off the nonchronological structure with uncommon sensitivity; unfortunately, he also confuses sensitivity with preciousness (recurring scenes show the hero confiding in a Jack Russell terrier).

Taking its cues from Annie Hall, the whimsy feels genuine in the first half supported by a wonderfully executed girl-meets-boy scene and a cool narrative structure. Somewhere in the center when fireworks explode in the sky and the new couple take to a hotel lobby on rollerskates (with cute dog in tow) it all begins to feel dialed in and hardly as substantial a movie experience you're hoping for.

I tell you what â

This is probably the film I'm most disappointed with, despite the fact that it was ok. So, Ewan McGregor stars as a graphic designer. Sporadically set in flashbacks ranging from 1955-2007, McGregor discovers that his father, a 75 year old, is gay. His mother already died from cancer, and McGregor finds out his father will soon die too. Along this emotional rollercoaster, McGregor meets a French actress who rarely speaks, played by Melanie Laurent. Their relationship blossoms after the death of his father, and he discovers her fragile past as well. So, a few things worked with others, so let's start with the positives. Most of the acting (see next paragraph for exception) was fantastic in this film, especially from Christopher Plummer, who played the father. His performance deserves some Academy recognition, even if it's just a nominee. I also was a fan of how this film dealt with its numerous dark topics. From cancer to abuse, the film covers so many topics in an 104 minute film, and glosses over them so easily. The main con in this film is, honestly, it isn't that interesting. The first half of this film is pretty dull, and even though it tries to test our interest with wit every few minutes, the funniest person is the dog who's thoughts are narrated through subtitles. I also wasn't a fan of Melanie Laurent, who played McGregor's girlfriend. Her character just wasn't believable, and she had practically no lines in the movie. I felt as if her character was just squeezed in there to make the whole love plot go through. I thought the film, in three words, was: disappointing, mediocre, quirky. It wears its quirky, ironic heart on its sleeve and I respect that. But, the film does have some pretty surprising flaws, and for that, I give the film a... C+

Beginners is a bad film with good parts. The only good parts in the film were that some scenes were funny and it wasent the most boring film ive ever seen. My problems witht he film is its a bit boring, they use alot of the same scenes over and over, it felt like the director didnt know what to put in the scene so he decided to put in that scene and the characters werent to interesting to follow. I would only recommend seeing it if you really want to but for me i'd pass.

It was painful to watch a badly produced movie when you see brilliant actors on a screen without direction. The "beginners" theme was lost before it began. The passion in the relationships was lackadaisical and pathetic. The purpose of the actors' lives was lost and perfunctory. The comments of some of the audience were "horrible movie" and such.. Personally, I kept waiting for a surge of purpose and it never materialized. Please stop this release and save us the pain.